Music is the medicine of the mind Music is good therapy. It is particularly effective because it registers on multiple sites of the brain. This means that even if the brain is very badly affected by a stroke or illness, there are s^till parts of the brain that recognise music.

I remember how upset all of us were when Grandfather suffered a stroke. The left side of his body and almost all of his face were affected. The once great and active Grandpa now lay still on the bed and had to be fed through a tube going down his nostrils. Little Rani could not stop weeping.

Grandfather had once presented me with a mobile phone. He knew my love for music and had told me I could download my favourite songs and create a playlist and listen to them whenever I wanted to.

I would sit by Grandfather’s bed whenever I was at home and had finished my studies and play the songs and listen to them.

One evening, to my surprise, I saw a shadow of a smile beginning to appear on Grandpa’s face. At first I couldn’t believe it. Then it became more definite and prominent. Grandpa was actually smiling!

I called Mom and Dad and Rani and everyone to see. Yes, Grandpa was indeed smiling. The music had reached out to him and had drawn out a response from him. 

That was one of the happiest moments during his illness.